easily

able to breathe (easy/easily/freely) again

1. Literally, capable of inhaling and exhaling without difficulty. Once the climbers returned from the top of the mountain, they felt like they were finally able to breathe freely again. After using my inhaler, I was able to breathe easily again. I have pretty bad allergies, so I can't wait till spring is over and I can breathe easy again!

2. Figuratively, recuperating from a busy or stressful period of time. After a long, hectic summer, many parents feel like they are able to breathe easy again once their kids are back in school. With your thesis defense finished, are you able to breathe easily again? All week, I was worried about having to give that presentation, so I'm able to breathe freely again now that it's done!

See also: able, again, breathe, easily, to

breathe easily

To relax or feel relieved, as after a period of stress or worry. I can finally breathe easily now that I'm done my term paper—I had been working on that thing all day every day for weeks! All week, I was worried about having to give that presentation, so I can breathe easily now that it's done! I'm glad Dad's surgery went well, but I won't be able to breathe easily until he's fully recovered.

See also: breathe, easily

breathe easy

To relax or feel relieved, as after a period of stress or worry. With your thesis defense finished, you can finally breathe easy! All week, I was worried about having to give that presentation, so I can breathe easy again now that it's done! I'm glad Dad's surgery went well, but I won't be able to breathe easy until he's fully recovered.

See also: breathe, easy

breathe freely

To relax or feel relieved, as after a period of stress or worry. I can finally breathe freely now that I'm done my term paper—I had been working on that thing all day every day for weeks! All week, I was worried about having to give that presentation, so I can breathe freely again now that it's done! I'm glad Dad's surgery went well, but I won't be able to breathe freely until he's fully recovered.

See also: breathe, freely

come easily to (one)

To be a skill that one learns with little effort. Playing the guitar just doesn't come easily to me—maybe because I have no sense of rhythm. Jackie isn't a great outfielder, but pitching seems to come easily to her. Danielle is really flexible, so those difficult yoga poses come easily to her.

See also: come, easily, to

come naturally

To be a skill that one learns easily or with little effort. Playing the guitar just doesn't come naturally to me—maybe because I have no sense of rhythm. Jackie isn't a great outfielder, but pitching seems to come naturally to her. Danielle is really flexible, so difficult yoga poses just come naturally to her.

See also: come, naturally

easier said than done

It is easy to say that one can or will do something, but is much more difficult to actually do it. You vowed to double the amount of last year's donations? Easier said than done. I know you're confident in your idea, but starting a company from the ground up is easier said than done. You vowed to double the amount of last year's donations? Well, that's easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

not sit comfortably (with one)

To not be agreeable to one's values or sensibilities. The idea that some children have to go hungry in this country just doesn't sit comfortably with me. Some aspects of my proposal didn't sit comfortably with them, but I assured them that things could be changed to accommodate their preferences.

See also: comfortably, not, sit

not sit easily (with one)

To not be agreeable to one's values or sensibilities. The idea that some children have to go hungry in this country just doesn't sit easily with me. Some aspects of my proposal didn't sit easily with them, but I assured them that things could be changed to accommodate their preferences.

See also: easily, not, sit

promises are like pie crust(s): (easily made,) easily broken

Promises are as thin and fragile as pie crust, and people make them so often but are rarely inclined to keep them. "Pie crust" is often written as a single word. A: "He promised to help me study for my exam, but he didn't show up!" B: "Well, promises are like pie crusts, Sarah—easily made, easily broken." A: "I promise that I will never do something like that again." B: "Not good enough, Tom. Promises are like piecrust—easily broken."

See also: broken, easily, like, pie, promise

you give up too easy/easily

You admit defeat or submit to opposition without enough effort or protest. A: "I asked him for a raise, but he said no." B: "You give up too easily, Charlie. You've got to stand up for yourself and argue why you deserve that raise!" A: "And what did you say when she refused to approve a funding increase for the budget?" B: "Oh, nothing. What could I say?" A: "You could have said something—anything! Sheesh, you give up too easy."

See also: easily, easy, give, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

breathe easy

to assume a relaxed state after a stressful period. After this crisis is over, I'll be able to breathe easy again. He won't be able to breathe easy until he pays off his debts.

See also: breathe, easy

come naturally (to someone)

to be natural and easy for someone. Her ability to deal easily with people comes naturally to her.

See also: come, naturally

easier said than done

Cliché said of a task that is easier to talk about than to do. Yes, we must find a cure for cancer, but it's easier said than done. Finding a good job is easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

breathe easy

Also, breathe easily or freely . Relax, feel relieved from anxiety, stress, or tension. For example, Now that exams are over with, I can breathe easy, or Whenever I'm back in the mountains, I can breathe freely again. This idiom originally (late 1500s) was put as breathe again, implying that one had stopped breathing (or held one's breath) while feeling anxious or nervous. Shakespeare had it in King John (4:2): "Now I breathe again aloft the flood." The variant dates from the first half of the 1800s.

See also: breathe, easy

easier said than done

Also, more easily said than done. Describing something more readily talked about than accomplished, as in Keeping the cats off the sofa is easier said than done. This expression also was put as sooner or better said than done . Today, the variant ( more easily) is still heard less often than the original. [c. 1450]

See also: done, easy, said

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

easier said than done

COMMON If you say that something is easier said than done, you mean that although it sounds like a good idea, you think it would be difficult to actually do it. `If you're not happy with yourself, then change.' Easier said than done, Alex thought. The alternative option is to scrap the unwanted machines, and use the metal for some other purpose. But this, too, is easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

easier said than done

more easily talked about than put into practice.

See also: done, easy, said

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

come ˈeasily, ˈnaturally, etc. to somebody

(of an activity, a skill, etc.) be easy, natural, etc. for somebody to do: Acting comes naturally to her.

See also: come, somebody, to

ˌeasier ˌsaid than ˈdone

(saying) it is easier to suggest doing something than actually to do it: ‘All you have to do is climb a ladder and mend the roof.’ ‘Easier said than done — I’m terrified of heights!’

See also: done, easy, said

come ˈnaturally (to somebody/something)

if something comes naturally to you, you are able to do it very easily and very well: Making money came naturally to him.

See also: come, naturally

sit comfortably/easily/well (with something)

(written) seem right, natural, suitable, etc. in a particular place or situation: His views did not sit comfortably with the management line.

See also: comfortably, easily, sit, well

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

easier said than done

Describing something that is more readily talked about than accomplished. This expression dates back as far as the fifteenth century, when it appeared in several sources, including the Vulgate (Latin) Bible. It was sometimes put as sooner or better said than done; the latter appears in John Heywood’s 1546 collection of English proverbs.

See also: done, easy, said

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer